The Phantom Crusade
by Farouk Shaaban
Summary: The Justice League has been hamstrung, the Light tighten's its grip, and criminals grow bold. This cannot go on any longer, and so the king of the dead has called for a war that will shake the world to it's core, but at what cost?(I'm bad at summaries).
1. A Spectral Call To Arms

**Hey everybody it's me Farouk Shaaban! Live from the state of Illinois with another fanfic idea that I've been DYING to do(especially since IDW released that ghostbusters/transformers comic and robbed me(in a good way) of the need to do so myself). It's a Danny Phantom and Young Justice crossover the likes of which have yet to be seen(I went through all the other fics on this site to confirm this). There'll be action, drama, and some good ole fashion violence covering up the question of life and death in the strange world where gods of old walk amongst modern titans. Fair warning: there will be "oc's", as in historical people and deities being included as either ghosts or themselves.**

**Warning! This story contains the following: **

**A change to a main character's origin(to better fit the plot)**

**Ships both canon and non canon**

**The dead rising from the grave**

**King Danny**

**Well with that out of the way, I can now say I don't own Danny Phantom or Young Justice.**

**The Phantom Crusade **

**Chapter 1: A Call to Arms…….**

**Six months before season 3 episode 1……**

Death.

One of the constant laws of this universe is that all things must eventually end, or in layman's terms everything dies; even those who claim immortality know that eventually even they must fade into the good night, and no longer rage against the dying of the light. To this end all species "blessed" with the gift of free will and sentience have sought in vain to answer the one question everyone eventually asks "Where do we go when we die?"

When not even the brightest scholars of all time couldn't answer that question, each civilization eventually drifts to their greatest poets and storytellers for an answer. Those gifted with the tongue of silver and a quick wit crafted stories of great beings dwelling in opulent palaces, heroes who braved the greatest peril, and monsters the likes of which have no right to exist in any place but nightmares. However, eventually even these "truths" faded into myth and legend as time and science kept marching on.

Those stories of fallible gods, fearless heroes, fearsome monsters, and manipulative devils eventually began to die out as the idea of a one, all powerful being took root in the lives of people. Soon the various underworlds and heavens drifted ever closer to each other, creating a seemingly infinite number of realms where the only limit was what was the most important thing the living remembered about the person you were in life.

This realm is known to its inhabitants as The Ghost Zone

Here the primordial principle of might makes right was writ large as various spectres, wraiths, and ghosts built fiefdoms large and small, reality bending to the will of the soul in charge of the pocket realm. However, there was one territory all knew never to anger, for this was the realm of the ghost king.

The vast dilapidated medieval castle once known as Pariah's Keep, was once the home to the cruel lord Pariah Dark. Through his fearsome power he reigned over all but the remnants of the gods for over four hundred years, until he was captured by the Elder Council, only to escape to once again take his throne. However, this time a new threat to his kingdom emerged, a ghost of all but four years with a connection to the living. This spirit had been an average, but ultimately helpful young man, was powered by his need to help others before all else; their clash was legendary, and the spirit paid a great price, but in the end he was triumphant over the cruel tyrant.

Now through the ancient right of conquest, the castle had become Phantom's Keep(the dead are not known for being imaginative). And the spirit had become the new king. And now the king sat in his war room, debating on the future.

To many the king might not seem like much of a threat, appearing to be barely out of his teens, and "built" like a coiled spring than a fearsome warrior of muscle. He wore the remnants of a black and white hazmat suit, scorched and torn from countless battles. Indeed compared to some of the other denizens of this strange purgatory, he looked absolutely pathetic. However, one need only look into his pale green eyes to see that this was a being who had seen humanity at its darkest and triumphed. King Daniel "Danny" Phantom had earned both his title, and the loyalty of those who formed his inner circle.

First amongst them was his Advisor, Frostbite of the Far Frozen. A towering yeti like being whose people had taught the king how to control his cryokinesis, and were amongst his closest allies.

Standing across from him was a gaunt man dressed in the garb of a biker, on closer inspection the man revealed himself to be nothing more than a metal coated skeleton, with green fire forming his eyes and an impressive Mohawk. This being was Skulker, Master of the Damned Hunt, a bounty hunter who brought the most blatant offenders of Danny's rules back from the mortal realm to face judgement.

Next came Wulf, Chief Pathfinder of the realm, it fell to the wolfman to find and close rogue portals to and from the ghost zone, as well as to complete the nigh impossible: find and collect all of the missing pages of sojourn's journal.

The third member of his court was a spirit with skin so pale it merge into his three piece suit was Walker, The Grave Warden. His rampant lawmaking and abuse of power curbed by the will of the king and the anticipation of what was to come.

Next came the ghost of chivalry and fealty, a being once dreaded by all as a servant of Pariah, he was the first to recognize Phantom's rule, as he was bound to serve whoever controlled the spectral castle. This was the Fright Knight, one of the stronger ghosts loyal to Danny as he was the death of an idea, and had lived far longer than any human being could, thus granting him immense willpower when the time for his era came to a close.

The only beings not present were his two heralds, Ember and Johnny 13, who were finalizing the final alliances needed for what was to be done.

Seeing that his council was finishing their discussions, Danny finally rose from his throne, immediately all were silent so as to hear what he had to say, and throughout the Ghost Zone portals appeared in the air to project his speech throughout the realm. "My fellow ghosts, spirits, wights, and wayward souls. Today marks the beginning of a new era."

"For years now I have kept us locked in our realm, not out of pity for the mortals we scared as we defied death itself, but out of caution. This is an age where the gods are mortals and science reigns supreme, if we were to make our presence known too soon then we risked examination at best, or outright experimentation at worse, and I speak for all of us when I say we know which is more likely….." Indeed it was not to long ago when an organization known as The Guys in White had tried to destroy the Ghost Zone, if for the sole reason of paranoia and petty racism.

"Today," He began "That isolation ends." There was uproar as ghosts immediately tried to open portals to the living world, but Danny was not yet done "I watched the so called Justice League go from being a beacon of hope to another cog in the machine of politics; meanwhile, the most perverse villains are able to run rampant without fear of punishment, hiding behind such thin defenses as _insanity_ or "mind control", and worse of all, children are being abducted from their homes simply for the crime of gaining abilities far beyond man's wildest dreams."

There was silence as he allowed his words to sink in….. "That ends today." The king rose into the air, a blade of ice forming in his hand, drawing in the few remnants of heat in the air as it solidified. "Today I call a crusade, not for wealth, fame, or some deity, for those hold no sway over us."

A few spirits began to murmur amongst themselves

"I call this crusade in the name of spite, for the living who squander their opportunities."

The murmurs were becoming shouts.

"In the name of justice, the one mercy denied so many of our kind."

The shouts became a bloody roar.

"And finally," Danny's voice dropped to a whisper, yet he was still heard by all his people "I call this crusade in the hopes of a better future, one where this realm is empty, for no one dies with anguish in their hearts, no ideas are left to rot forgotten, for there is no more obsession." The roar became a horrible wail as he slashed his blade through the thin wall of reality, allowing spirits of all shapes and sizes to pour

into the realm of the living for the first time in years.

The dead once again walked amongst the living.

**So, what do you guys think? Please leave a review whether you like this or not as all feedback is useful***

***unless it's your just using the review board to moan, then your just trying to imitate a ghost.**


	2. A Much Needed Introduction

**Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter of The Phantom Crusade, and might I say that I'm very thankful for everyone who has favorited and followed the story after just one chapter. You've warmed my very soul with that act of curiosity. Now, normally I answer the reviews posted by you guys, and I don't intend to stop now. But since we have so many I'm going to do my favorites/ the ones that stick out.**

**DinoPirate: great name btw. Yes Danny is dead, I was just trying to sound vague cause it makes good writing, humor will be here and there but it will be of the gallows variety as Danny makes heads roll(in more ways than one!). Team Phantom is alive, not gonna give you anything else. He ages relatively normally, at least mentally. A little bit of both when it comes to appearances.**

**Guest number 5: I thought he was OP enough as is, he's king of the dead and he still has all of his powers from the show, except with the added bonus of having an army of the undead on his side.**

**White tiger freak: same as DinoPirate when it comes to Team Phantom, maybe on Dani, I'm undecided. Season 3.**

**Guest number 2: read it, found it short but interesting. Thanks.**

**Guest number 1: the justice league is being one upped by a bunch of spooky bois.**

**RusEmp: it ain't gonna be pretty.**

**Kyotodsg: while appreciated, next time could you please send me the link? I had to copy and paste in order to read everything.**

**TrollHunterMax: thank you for your answer, and you're in for a treat.**

**And now, let us begin**

**Chapter 2: A Much Needed Introduction…….**

**Space, the final frontier……**

Amongst the various satellites and debris that orbits the third rock in the solar system, a beacon of hope once shone brightly. It is known to the heroes and governments of the United Nations simply as The WatchTower, the true base of the Justice League. Hidden from the vast majority of their rogues galleries and serving as the first line of defense if the earth was ever invaded by an interstellar threat.

Today though, that light has been dimmed to nearly nothing. Bogged down by bureaucracy and the machinations of far greater forces, the league has been divided into those who follow Wonder Woman and the second Aquaman in staying true to their UN charter, and those who follow the Bat of Gotham in returning to their vigilante roots in order to pursue "The Mission", and in between are the freelancers, not willing to bend the knee to League or Corporation. Now the remaining members of the league gather once more, to discuss the newest threat to the well-being of the world.

The Phantom Crusade

In the short span of six months ghosts have divided the entire world into various fiefs and petty territories. Meanwhile their king and his ambassadors "play" politics with the various world leaders, allowing them to believe that they have a fighting chance.

"Since everyone is here we will now go over our current intel on the various territories and which spirit is in control." The voice of Kaldur, once known as Aqualad, now the chairman of the league ran out as the holographic projection of the planet came into view.

The map highlighted the so called "Haunts" of each ghostly duke or baron who now laid claim to the land. Each Haunt was located near a cemetery or burial ground, reinforced with the freely offered bones of the deceased and the dead ice of the Far Frozen. At the center of these crypts was a portal to the mysterious Ghost Zone. It was the holy grail of a military objective in the current crusade for any mortal force to capture one of these mysterious objects, a fact which had sent many a team of soldiers to their breaking points as the ghosts assaulted them.

What dastardly spirit from the pit controlled these areas was up to debate, what wasn't, however, was the lack of action from those heroes who would have the most impact on these creatures.

The Spectre would not intervene, viewing the crusade as the most effective way to pursue vengeance on the murderers and rapists of the world. Nor did the Deadman attempt to coral his brethren, his divine patron stopping him from doing so. The most shocking "sympathizer" though, was a prominent member of the current Justice League line up.

Doctor Fate

"Come on doc, this king Danny's gotta be breaking some sort of natural law of the universe, why aren't you acting against him?" Captain Marvel questioned the ancient being.

"Indeed He is," the doctor admitted, albeit with some reluctance "However my position as both a spirit and a member of this league puts me in a precarious position, to choose one side over the over may lead to imbalance, and eventually Chaos."

"However, I was able to reach out to an old friend, who may be able to help us."

"And who might this friend be Doctor?" Aqua man asked, it questioning why Doctor Fate didn't mention this earlier, or questioning why he didn't reach out earlier in the so called "Ghost War".

"I believe her is referring to me." A strange voice resonated throughout the meeting area. Suddenly a strange being emerged from seemingly nowhere.

This being was a child, with blue skin and glowing red eyes. He was wrapped in a purple cloak over a spandex suit. On his wrists were various watches and iMessage telling devices, each monitoring a different time zone, to expand on his time fetish he also held a long staff with a watch being held between two prongs.

"Greetings Justice League, I am Clockwork, the ghost of time itself." As he said this the ghost's form began to rapidly age into that of a young man's, giving validation to his claims. "And we have much to discuss…….."

Ghost Zone

Floating through the halls of the king's keep Clockwork went over his conversation with the vastly diminished Justice League. After futilely trying to attack him for "sneaking in" as young Captain Marvel put it(despite being invited by Doctor Fate) he calmed them down by not so subtlety freezing them in time. After waiting a few minutes to introduce himself once again and scaring them into listening to him by revealing every one of their secret identities and exactly how each of them had been "gifted" their powers. The result was truly something that needed to be seen to believe, particularly when The Flash went through the entire range of human emotions in under five milliseconds.

Though he was pushing the very limits of the laws that bind him as the master of time itself, Clockwork did not regret what he did today. It was a necessary step in order to get the league to step up their game, or rather…… for the Anti-Light to move forward……

**And that's all for now, sorry it took two months but senior year of high school is no picnic(fair warning). Another chapter should be ready by the new year. Please leave a review if you liked what you read, and if not that's fine. Not gonna lie I'm honored by how many people are wanting more of this crazy idea of mine, and I hope I keep you on your seats.**


	3. Preparations and Coronations

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The Phantom Crusade! Sorry about the delay but school/new baby brother/wrestling/real life comes before pleasure writing(you know how it is). But now that good old covid-19 has shut everything down I can finally get back to writing the crazy shit that comes to my head! Hip hip Hooray! Now just because I've not been posting chapters recently doesn't mean I haven't been cooking up a story(and a potential sequel inshallah) for you. I won't say much, but I'll give you a hint about a character you may see later on: Darkseid controls him and all speedsters fear him.**

**Now, let's get onto answering the reviews.**

**Dakota Bruder: all of your posts sound amazing(how did you double post btw?), but I will not do that as I have never played Mega Man, though there will be boss battles.**

**Shadehuntsman666: Thank you my good man, hope to keep you interested.**

**LetTheChaosEnsue: first off great name, second you sure know how to make a man feel special.**

**Dino Pirate: Thanks man, I swear some things just pass right underneath my nose…. As for the world building, hell yeah! His channel inspired half of this fic, and Sojourn's Journal will play a crucial role in the Crusade.**

**Djegnerman: I know, I had planned to write a scene where the league unloads a can of whoop ass on clockwork, only for the vast majority of it to fail, but time and feelings of regret for not posting recently stopped me.**

**White tiger freak: A little bit of both.**

**And now back to our regularly(HA!) scheduled program.**

**Chapter 3: Preparation and Coronations**

**Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay**

Danny's gaze drifted around the old prison walls as his army prepared for war. Two days earlier he had ordered Skulker to take two members of his Hunt to scare off the tourists and keep them out until the Fright Knight could arrive, whereupon his arrival he was to enclose the area in an ectostorm, bridging the two planes of existence together.

"Are you sure you'll be able to hold the entire Island?" he asked the seemingly empty room, a few seconds later a ghost in a pin-striped suit and a fedora appeared before him, his face purposely obscured by mist, and his mouth had an honest to god zipper with a padlock hanging off the left side.

"Don't worry your highness," the spectre said after unlocking and unzipping his mouth "The Family knows that you need this place locked up tighter than a catholic girl before her wedding, and we won't let you down."

Danny laughed at hearing those words "And I guess my promise to have Walker release all of your "family members" in his jail cells in return for your services means nothing?"

The criminal ghost had the decency not to shrug "It's a good start." And with that the undead mook turned intangible and left the king alone with his thoughts. Danny waited five seconds to make sure he was alone, then let loose the sigh he was holding in, once again regretting starting this bloody crusade, especially as it brought him to the door of the Cryptorra Family.

The family was the result of various mobsters of various backgrounds(irish, italian, russian, etc) dying and being obsessed with their lifestyle that they were "reborn" into the ghost zone they fell back into their familiar lifestyle. They frequently tried to extort other ghosts and expand their control of the various subrealms. It got to the point where half the ghosts Walker arrested before Danny became king were "Wise Ghouls". However, they were quickly becoming some of the best troops Danny had on metaphysical hand, knowing the locations of many of their still living mafiosos safehouses and favored meeting places.

With another sigh Danny floated through the walls and outside to see how construction of the new defenses was going, and he was not disappointed.

The Island proper was currently being surrounded by a twelve foot wall of what Danny had come to call "Dead Ice" by a team of five Far Frozen ghosts, with guard towers being raised every fifteen yards.

Next the prison itself was being reinforced with layers of the dreaded Ectoranium, effectively shutting down any and all supernatural powered villains that the King's men brought to be sent to Walker's clutches, first in the mortal world, then in the one after.

There were other changes occurring to the iconic prison, such as the creation of a barracks for Danny's skeletal troops, the "installation" of the largest Ghost Portal on the planet. But they were thoughts for another time, Dany's schedule was constantly full of activities that seemed to literally pull him apart before the Crusade, now he seemed to be at least three times as busy.

Looking around he quickly located the ghost he was looking for, Skulker was currently overseeing the construction of an outpost for the ghouls that made up his Hunt.

Through the power of the Fright Knight's sword pulling the Island into the Ghost Zone, the more powerful ghosts were able to impart their will onto the mortal world, creating extensions of their own private kingdoms, for Skulker that meant a miniature version of the skull mountain on his private hunting grounds, filled with all sorts of undead and ghastly predators.

"What troubles you Ghost Child?" The metallic ghost spoke without either looking at Danny or showing any respect to him, for he has known the King the longest out of the entire court, and was his unofficial second in command.

"Just thinking about how good you look in a trenchcoat." Danny said with a smirk, for since Skulker was elected Huntsmaster he had undergone a drastic change in appearance. No long was his skin made up of metal plates riveted together, it now mimicked pale flesh in order for him to blend in with the mortal world, with the rest of his skeletal body being hidden under a trenchcoat the color of the void. Gone were his missiles and other gadgets, in their stead Skulker used a hook forged from bullets that had slain the innocent, forever seeking to return to those who used them. It was quite a change from his techno-punk look of old, but it was the least dramatic change of the ghosts the king had fought and later befriended.

Skulker didn't buy it"Your lies are just as bad as your puns Phantom, now tell me the truth."

Danny sighed as he pondered his response "... Skulker do you think I've gone insane? That this Crusade is merely the ravings of a soul lost to his obsession? Do you think I am becoming like Pariah?"

"... I think that you are a _King_," Skulker responded, "You were always a kind soul, even when a ghost mocked for being a halfa, if later the same spirit would ask you for help in their darkest hour you would gladly help."

"But when you became king, from the exact moment you slipped on the Ring of Hate and the Crown of Fire you learned exactly how much suffering occurs in our realms. No Phantom, I do not think you are insane , I think you are a good man literally tearing himself apart trying to help others at your own expense."

"For example, where are you right now besides here?"

"Besides being next to you on Alcatraz I am in the throne room, watching over Pariah's sarcophagus, I'm fighting an incursion by The Guys in White alongside fifty Wise Ghouls in our Chicago outpost, and a small manifestation is watching over my parents house in case my identity is finally discovered, and finally one version is being prepped in Markovian culture by Dorothea in preparation for tonight's coronation." Danny admitted in a somewhat defensive tone.

Skulker nodded his head "And how many are wearing your armour?"

The "armour" the mohawked ghost was referring to was a mixture of scale mail made from ancient greek drachmas and sheets of Dead Ice etched with images of bats, skulls, and various bones of the human body. Danny's face was hidden behind a faceplate shaped into a jack o lantern's grin, the ancient crown of the Ghost King burning it's ghastly green fire atop his head.

"Including this one? Three." Danny answered without a hint of shame.

"Then my point has been made,You're a king, you wield great power and that comes with a price," Skulker said with a small smile "And know that if you ever become anything close to that medieval bastard I will hang your pelt in my trophy room."

With that said the two broke into a fit of laughter, the kind shared between two men who had walked through hell and escaped with their sanity mostly intact.

It would not last long though, as an alarm quickly filled the air.

"It seems we have a security breach, my King." Skulker growled as a feral grin formed on his face.

"So let's show them what happens when you break into a haunted house." Danny responded, and with that said the two ghosts turned invisible, and flew towards their foe….

**Meanwhile, in Markovia**

"...antom…..Phantom…..DANIEL!"

It was when she used her full name that Danny knew he was in trouble, king or not Dorothea still found a way to scare him to death, as when she was angry she tended to use her amulet to partially transform into her dragonic form.

"Sorry Dor, just getting lost in fighting alongside Skulker."

At that Dorothea's angered glare diminished a fraction, and she returned to her normal self. "I see, and pray tell how the battle goes?"

He let out a sigh "It's going well enough I think. They somehow managed to sneak in two squads of some sort of black op group onto the Rock, however only four or five guys have anti-ghost tech, and it's the cheap knock-off stuff, we'll hold."

Dorothea frowned at his tone but kept her thoughts on this to herself. He referred to anything not made by either his parents or "The Fruit Loop" as cheap knock-offs, though that didn't mean that the weapons couldn't hurt or even kill ghosts. She knew for a fact that at least two of his clones had fallen from a sheer barrage of fire. Though he eventually healed from each attack it seemed to take longer and longer….

Shaking her head to clear it of these thoughts, she went back to her lesson "Now remember, these boys have not only lost their mother and father, but also their younger sister two years earlier. No matter how festive tonight maybe this is a kingdom in mourning."

Danny nodded in understanding, before closing his eyes and entering the process of reshaping his ectoplasm to a form more suitable for a coronation, after a few seconds he was done. "How do I look?"

His usual hazmat suit was replaced with a simple mantle in his trademark black and white with a green sash around his waist. Around his shoulders laid a simple black cloak with a white fur trim, held in place by two skulls made of crystalized ectoplasm linked by a rusted chain. On his right hand he wore the Ring of Rage, with the Crown of Fire expanding to lay around his neck, with the points obscuring his features, and finally he combed his hair into a reasonable do.

Dorothea took a few seconds to tousle his hair back to its usual mess, "There, now we must hurry or we'll be late."

This caused Danny to blink "I thought kings were allowed to be late…"

"Not if they're invited to an event by another king." Dorothea retorted as they flew to the palace.

Artemis could not believe Nightwing had talked her into this crazy mission, let alone Connor and Black Lightning, but here she was in Markovia trying to uncover whether or not the Royal Family was tied into the Metahuman Trafficking Ring that was sweeping across the entire planet…. Okay it was obvious how he had managed to talk her into it in hindsight.

She was looking out for potential assassins when the warning came in through the commlink "Heads up, the dead walk amongst us."

Immediately she turned with the rest of the party guests to see King Phantom and one other ghost(a princess if her dress was anything to go by) descend into the courtyard.

"Anybody know who the other ghost is?" Artemis asked as she took a discreet photo and sent it to Oracle.

"Running facial recognition now, but it looks like it's Princess Dora Mattingly, his U.N. ambassador."

"Any idea if she's a threat?" Black lightning asked, concern laced in his voice "I didn't sign up for a brawl with a guy who rules over an entire dimension of spirits, and I definitely don't want to find out he brought an equally powerful friend."

"Stay whelmed everybody," Nightwing responded after a few seconds "According to Batman's files she's a non-combatant, and if all goes well we shouldn't draw any attention from Markovia itself, much less The Ghost King."

The "I hope" was left unsaid, though unbeknownst to everyone else Nightwing unconsciously knocked on a nearby wooden table twice.

**Well it's finally done, here's hoping I still have an audience after this long drought. Don't worry though, the next chapter should be out in two to three weeks. Until next time everybody.**


	4. How To Piss Off a Ghost King

**Welcome back to The Phantom Crusade! I tell you this chapter is going to be a fun one! Now we'll start with reviews as is my tradition:**

**White Tiger Freak: Not for a while, though she'll get really close ;)**

**Trjz: Glad that you like the story.**

**TTGG03: This is a fun story to write.**

**Mep101: I will continue this wonderful story.**

**LazyMe: You'll get your wish shortly…**

**Matt: Thanks.**

**Djberneman: **_**You **_**in particular have gotten the entire plan early, everyone else will be learning about it this chapter. **

**Shepherd 89: Thank you for the confidence boost, I've actually been considering writing my own book(It's a supernatural crime piece where the monsters from the old world are immigrating to America, and are mirroring the crime families of the early 20th century(Monster Gangsters for lack of a better title(the Cryptora Family is my way of testing the idea out))).**

**Also how come none of you guys called me out for misnaming the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage? I'm just kidding, I've already edited the previous chapter to fix that mistake. Now onto the chapter proper.**

**Chapter 4: How to Piss Off a Ghost King**

It was fairly safe to say that the presence of Danny and Dorothea was scaring the living hell out of the vast majority of the guests at the Markovian Coronation. Half of the guests were quickly backing away from wherever the ghosts floated to, some were pulling out crosses or reciting prayers to ward off evil, in fact the Ghost King would later swear he saw one woman faint into the arms of her husband from pure shock.

There were only three people who were showing any emotion besides fear and shock. The first person was Frederick DeLamb, uncle to the Princes on their mother's side, who was angrily whispering into a communication device hidden into his collar, no doubt trying to call security. The other two were a man and a woman who looked like they were in their early to mid twenties respectively, like DeLamb they were whispering into their own set of commlinks, unlike DeLamb their expressions were a mixture of curiosity and concern, leading Danny to guess they were either secret agents or worse: Superheroes with some allegiance to the Justice League.

Both were bad in his case. If they were spies than odds are they were looking into the Markovian government or(more likely) they were trying to secure the Guys in White more global allies in their war against the Ghost Zone(which had been going on in secret way before he had declared the Crusade, but who cared about what a ghost had to say). The other option however, was definitely the worst of the two options.

The entire reason he even called for a Crusade was because the Justice League had allowed themselves to be bogged down by bureaucracy and, to an extent, their own moral codes. The UN Charter that made them more than a couple of vigilantes wearing colorful costumes was also a leash, one that was being pulled ever tighter since Lex "Wishes he was Superman" Luthor was made Secretary General. Honestly he hoped the rumours about Superman coming back to Earth relatively soon were true, just so he could see Big Blue stand against this bullshit in the name of "Truth, Justice, and The American Way!", though that also meant he might have to fight the Man of Steel, and honestly he didn't think he could find it in his ectoplasm to beat up the embodiment of the American Dream.

Their morals were a whole different story though, The Justice League has faced down alien invasions, mad scientists/sorcerers, ancient demons and their ilk, and the absolute worst of humanity and triumph. Yet, it always seemed to be temporary, the same old villains would appear again and again! In some(99%) cases this was because the villains had access to great lawyers, who always found a loophole in the legal system that allowed them to escape the punishment they truly deserved. That was why mass murderers like The Joker or the eco terrorist Poison Ivy weren't given the chair(especially after the whole "Injustice Gang" crap they pulled) they got off with being unable to stand trial via "The insanity Defense". But that wasn't what truly made Danny angry at the Justice League.

The reason he was angry was what came after one of their battles.

One of the "perks" of being "The Lord of All Ghosts" was that he knew exactly when a new spirit entered his realm. It wasn't an active thing, but if there was a host of spirits nearby Danny could tell exactly how long each ghost had been undead, as well as the reason for their demise. Usually it was a car accident, a stabbing, or in rare cases an execution, but with growing frequency the cause of death could often be summed up as "*Name of Superhero/villain* brought down a building" or "*Superhero* was too busy fighting to save me."

And all too often those ghosts were children.

There were only so many ways Danny could comfort a kid's ghost, but he couldn't lie to save his own unlife. The worst part was when they tried to see their family and friends, only to scare them unintentionally like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

In simpler words Danny's opinion of the Justice League as a whole could be summed up as the following: Damn them all to hell.

The moment he launched the Crusade he made sure to make every superhero, no matter how beloved by the people, look like the careless idiots they were. This didn't make him any allies amongst the cape community, but he didn't care about that, right now the only thing on his mind was the coronation and hopefully securing a mortal ally in Europe.

Gregor Markov, current Crown Prince(King after the ceremony) of Markovia was not a superstitious man, but when two ghosts quite literally show up out of nowhere….. One tends to look for the nearest priest.

"Greetings King Phantom," He said with the most even tone he could muster "It is an honour to have such an… _interesting _leader visit fair Markovia."

"Are you sure about that? I think I'm rather….. _Dead _boring in comparison to some of your country's previous visitors." King Phantom said with a chuckle.

….Gregor didn't know what to say after that, he had expected the Ghost King to speak with a dreadful whisper and utter world breaking truths, not crack god awful puns like some american superhero from the fifties(the entire Flash Family suddenly felt the urge to sneeze at the exact same moment). "No, no I suppose you are not," he then turned to his spectral lady friend "And I do not know you had a….. Is consort an appropriate description?"

This caused King Phantom to laugh before receiving a (un)death glare from his friend "Ah where are my manners, this is Lady Dorothea Mattingly, my ambassador to the U.N. as well as one of my dearest friends."

This received a nervous chuckle from nearly everyone who had been "politely listening" to the conversation, and more than a few people slowly backed away in fear.

"My apologies Lady Dorothea."

"No need Your Majesty, the pleasure of being in Markovia once again more than makes up for any grievance," Dora said with an elegant curtsy. "It is rare that I visit a place that I remember from my mortal youth that has stayed the same."

There was another round of awkward silence as no one knew exactly what to say to such a comment, before the blond women who may or may not be a superhero/spy walked over to the group "Excuse me, ? Lian Crock _**Daily Planet**_ reporter, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions seeing as how you're already here."

"I was wondering when somebody would try to pull this, though I expected the young prince to do this."

"Alright," "Lian" began "May I start with Why you are visiting Markovia?"

Danny saw no reason not to be honest "Besides celebrating the coronation I came to tell the Markov family that I cannot find their parents souls in the Ghost Zone, meaning that though their deaths were early and painful, they did not have any regrets. I also wished to offer an alliance in regards to my Crusade."

"Well, I can't speak for the Markov's, but I think they're grateful for that knowledge*they were(or at least the brothers were)*. Funny you should mention your "Phantom Crusade", since it's started the world(mostly America) has been in a state of turmoil as you've quite literally confirmed the existence of the afterlife, and then you started taking over graveyards and rounding up criminals."

"I guess not explaining what I intend to do with said criminals was a _grave_ mistake on my part." Danny joked, drawing a glare from Dorothea and the fake reporter.

"Please excuse the king, his sense of humour has decayed along with his body." Dorothea tried to explain, unintentionally making a pun in the process.

"...Noted, I guess the biggest question on everyones' mind is "What exactly is The Phantom Crusade?""

'Finally! Somebody asks!' Danny thought internally as externally he began to explain his plan "You see , a "ghost" ,like myself and Dorothea, are created from our most dominant personality traits mixing with whatever lasting regrets/obsessions we have held onto at the end of our time on earth. For me that obsession was simply to help people, though now it has evolved into helping my people, but for others it could be something involving several different factors, or in some cases the ghost in question was created by an idea(and even rarer: they were born as a ghost!)."

"Now a lot of people have been dying as of late, what with The Injustice Gang, The Reach Invasion, and now this fucking Metahuman Trafficking Ring bullshit, my realm has become filled with ghosts who by all rights have died too Sojourn damn early… It's driving me **mad**….. The fact that the creeps keep getting away with it keeps me up all night _wailing_ into the void for all those souls…. Sorry if I'm being overdramatic, it comes with being dead."

"Nonono….. It's perfectly understandable," quickly apologized, a sympathetic look briefly being visible in her eyes, "But if I may, can we go back to the Crusade?"

"Heh, you're definitely a reporter. The Crusade has two parts, the first one being the rounding up of the so called "supervillains", locking them up, and finally throwing away the key. So far I've established three prisons were they can be successfully contained until they serve out at least their first life sentence, then if they come back I'll give them to my Gaoler Walker in the Ghost Zone; if that fails I'll give them the "Death" Penalty and give their souls to one of the remaining death gods to torture for all eternity."

"Don't you think that the punishment you intend for them is inhumane?"

"You're just gonna gloss over the whole death gods bit aren't you?

"We live in a world where superpowers are increasingly becoming commonplace, aliens have invaded us twice, and Ghosts walk amongst the living, death gods are interesting but not unexpected. Now, please answer the question."

"Well played, anyways no I do not think I'm being inhumane, most of these _people_ have committed so many atrocities that if somebody were to shoot them it'd be like shooting Hitler: The only people who would hate you are also "Nazis"."

"Fair enough, but what is the second part of the Crusade?"

"The second part is rounding up the pages of Sojourn's Journal."

At this somebody else asked a question "Excuse me, but who is Sojourn? And why is his Journal so important?"

Dorothea stepped up to bat this time "Sojourn was the only ghost who has ever explored the entirety of the Ghost Zone, and his journal contains all his notes about the various realms, and if rumours are to be believed, a Map to the Elsewhereness."

"The Elsewhereness?" asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A place where all emotions cease to exist," Dorothea explained "You would not be wrong to call it Heaven."

At those words the crowd metaphorically exploded, while a part of the castle literally exploded!

"Don't look at me," The Ghost King told the crowd as everyone turned to look at him, "When I blow something up, the flames tend to green."

Apparently the guards didn't care about that as they started to move towards him, one of them even tried shooting at him with a pistol! An ecto shield quickly put a stop to that.

He gave prince Gregor a look that screamed "Really?", before using his cryokinetic powers to freeze the guards in place. Dorothea was less kind, partially transforming into her draconic form, allowing ragged wings and a spiked tail to form out of her ectoplasm and letting out a low growl.

"We've literally been here the whole time and were the ones who get shot at?" The Ghost King sarcastically asked the crowd, "and people wonder why monsters isolate themselves from the world….."

**And a cliffhanger again! I'm sorry but I just want to make up for the epic delay last chapter had so I'm making this into a two parter, up next we'll have the King and the Princess ruling it out with the heroes who party crashed. Till next time!**


	5. Of Souls and Corpses (09-27 22:20:45)

**WE'RE BACK!**

**Welcome to another exciting chapter of The Phantom Crusade! Sorry I didn't post sooner everyone, I got swept up in an internship for a bit in addition to my normal forgetfulness. Now lets answer the reviews:**

**Chicaalterego****: thanks**

**Devilzxknight86****: Batman said it best "We're all criminals."**

**Yukid999****: way better than what I had planned.**

**Trjz: no problem.**

**white tiger freak****: Thanks!**

**Shepherd89: Thanks and no I have not.**

**LetTheChaosEnsue****: Truth be told I'm not trying to add political crap, I came to this site for fun and peace.**

**Chapter 5: Of Souls and Corpses**

Pandemonium

That was the only word that Danny could think of that came remotely close to describing the situation at the Markovian Coronation currently, what with the bodyguards shooting everywhere, the people screaming, the press filming, and the ectoplasm flying in all directions.

Frankly this was easily in the king's top ten list of one sided battles, whenever the guards shot at him he either went intangible or threw up an ecto shield before launching a _severely _weakened ecto blast, when they tried to physically assault him he did the same or if the guard was particularly annoying he overshadowed the guard in question and make them punch themselves or give them a self inflicted atomic wedgie(he now understood why Dash enjoyed doing to him so often back when he was amongst the living). Needless to say all the guards were praying no one was recording their fight, but all the cameras were pointed towards them, plus thousands of phones.

Dorothea on the other hand, simply let out a dragonic roar very much not befitting a lady of her status alongside a few fireballs and simply scared all but the most idiotic guards. When even more guards came into the courtyard wielding anti ghost cannons, Danny took a quick glance at the models being used before turning to glare at the Crown Prince.

"Really? You're using Lexcorp cannons?"

Gregor shrugged "I do not currently have any sway over what weapons our armies use."

Danny shrugged in return, it was a good point, "Fair enough if you're going to pack anti-ghost weaponry, I suggest you buy from Fenton Works, hell I'll even admit to…. "Borrowing" their equipment from time to time to contain extremely unruly ghosts." To prove his statement he opened a small portal to Phantom Keep and pulled out a rather high tech thermos "In particular I use the Fenton Thermos, easy to carry and can trap just about any ghost but myself and a few others with relative ease."

Dorothea facepalmed(clawed? It was hard to tell at times) at the blatant advertising and the apparent lack of self preservation her king was showing in the face of ten rather large guns, as did the rest of Danny inner circle barring Frostbite, though it hid a growing smile.

fat man yelled to his wife just as the nearby house phone went off.

"Hello, Fenton Works, this is Jack Fenton speaking." The now named Jack answered the call with an enthusiasm he hadn't felt in a very long time, as was noted by the copy of a ghost stationed outside his window.

"Glad to help the company dad…." all the versions of Danny Fenton muttered under their breath around the world.

Back in Markovia the guards opened fire directly at King Phantom, the shots passing through the many people in their firing path as they were designed only to harm the undead(though their clothes were effectively ruined). Danny dodged these blasts with the ease that came from an unlife spent fighting, at the same time he opened the "lid" of the thermos, releasing a small amount of ectoplasm that morphed into a rather cute little ghost bulldog/german shepherd mix that had a dog collar that read "Cujo, Defender of Phantom Keep, if lost run for your life" in an archaic form of cursive.

"Hey Cujo, who's a good boy?" The Ghost King happily asked as he petted his dog mid battle "You wanna play a game? Okay, get the meat puppets!" and with those words the tiny ghost morphed into a beast two times the size of his master bedecked in a set of armour covered in hooks and spikes, causing quite a few people to shit/wet themselves, and more than a few children watching at home to develop cynophobia. Finally getting bored with this little skirmish, the king of all ghosts took a deep breath, and unleashed a sound that was more felt than heard. Everyone in the immediate area fell to their knees as they felt the weight of the world upon them, but just as quickly as the sonic barrage began, it was over.

"What was that?" one of the civilian onlookers asked, to which Dorathea replied "The grief of a nation."

"Now then," Danny muttered, easily slipping back into his "King Voice", "Does anyone want to keep fighting? Cause I could do this til the universe grows cold and we all join hands with The Lady on The Grey!"

In response to that challenge the universe decided that it still hated the old halfa, as another part of the castle collapsed. Out from the rubble came two people dressed in all black tactical gear, and… a giant monster that looks like General Delamb?! The monster looked around as in a daze before setting its eyes on the Ghost King and charged him!

"Okay, you know what? No."

The monster that was once a man was stopped in his tracks as shards of dead ice pierced his stone body. After making sure the metahuman couldn't escape, Danny looked around at the unintentional carnage, shared a look with his ambassador, and opened up a portal to the Ghost Zone. Before he left he floated over to the Crown Prince, whispered something only he could hear, and gave him the Thermos and left.

Once in the relative safety of purgatory Danny let out a large sigh "That could've gone better."

"Agreed," Dorathea wholeheartedly answered as she willed her dress back into a more appropriate appearance, "And while I would love to go over exactly everything that went wrong, I have to go explain what in the name of Sojourn just happened to the U.N."

"Sorry Dora, I truly did not see this evening turning into a firefight."

"Oh don't worry Sir Phantom, it was still lovely to visit an "old castle" and have to go through all the motions of being a proper lady." she said with a small smile as she opened a portal to the United Nations building, leaving the king and his dog alone.

For a few minutes they just floated there, eventually playing with Cujo's favorite ball when they felt _her_ arrival.

"Well, this is a surprise." Danny muttered as he turned to face the newest arrival.

Sometimes Danny sincerely wondered if he was always destined to become The Ghost King, usually after 'inspecting' Clockwork's equipment and viewing alternate timelines. There were ones where he was still alive, some where he was a villain, others where he never died at all, but then moments like this happen and he sincerely believes God planned for this to happen.

After all, why make Danny have a love of Goth Girls, if The Grim Reaper wasn't one herself?

There she stood before him, dressed in a black dress that perfectly contrasted with her pale skin, her silver ankh acting like a beacon in the darkness of the Ghost Zone.

"Hello Danny." she said with a voice that was like the last day of summer, warm and nostalgic.

"Your majesty," Danny said with an over the top bow which he knows she hates, Cujo simply "ran" up to her, demanding pets and giving licks in return. "What brings you to the Ghost Zone?"

"By The Presence I hate that name, what was wrong with The Infinite Realms?" Death muttered before getting back on track "I'm unfortunately here to ask you a favor."

"What kind a favor do you need done that requires help from a ghost?" Danny asked, annoyed that the Ghost Writer bound him to the bloody "Scottish Play" rules when it came to Death, requiring clever workarounds just to have a simple conversation.

"Tonight-as with many nights- people have died, one whose time was up…. and another who was not supposed to until Father Time himself drew his last breath." The personification seemed to be… disturbed by that line of thought. "Anyways, normally I wouldn't be so worked up over this, but in this case my older brother intervened."

Death opened a small tear in the fabric of the Ghost Zone, and in that tear Danny saw a girl of Middle Eastern descent(Quaraci, if he were to guess), lying in a hastily dug grave, her soul leaving with Death and another soul taking its place.

"Well, that sure is something you don't see everyday."

"You're right about that."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to play Casper."

Danny burst out laughing, unlike his time with Skulker this was a true laugh, one he hadn't had in a while. It was only when he stopped and saw the nonplussed look on her face did she realize she wasn't kidding. "Seriously? I'm supposed to befriend this girl who by all rights should be dead?"

"Technically she is dead, that is an entirely different soul inhabiting her body," Death explained "And it's more like I need you to be her friend and protector."

"Big Brother is always watching, even from beyond the grave." Danny summed up, then sighed "what's her name?"

Death felt a small smile forming on her face "Originally it was Gabrielle, what it is now I do not know. All I know is I owe you big time."

"No need, I "live" to help, though if an aspect of you stopped by on Halloween, that wouldn't be so bad." Danny mused, getting a laugh out of the Endless one.

"Consider it done." And with a kiss to his cheek she was gone with the flutter of a raven's wings. Danny looked down at Cujo and asked him a simple question "What the hell did I just get into, boy?"

Cujo could only whimper.

**And that's the chapter, what will happen next? Will The Anti-Light be pleased with this development?**

**Probably not. I want to thank all of you guys who've stocked with this story, I know my pacing sucks, but you're still here and that means the world to me. See you real soon.**


	6. Little Faith

**Welcome back to The Phantom Crusade! I apologize for not typing this up sooner, but preparations for college and a general lack of knowing how to take this story further have drained me. I also apologize in advance for breaking one of my earlier statements of not being political on this sight, as there are some things going on in China that are really pissing me off. Now then I'll answer some reviews**

**White tiger freak: I aim to please.**

**Devilzxknight86: that is genius, but I will not be using it as it feels like plagiarism**

**Jebest4781: thank you, and you guessed the sequel villains.**

**Random Guest # 6: College sucks, there's my answer.**

**Stardust light: please read the chapter title.**

**Chapter 6: Ye of Little Faith…**

**Xinjiang Province, China….**

There were times Skulker pondered how things would be if he had succeeded in skinning the halfa that would become Danny Phantom when they first met all those years ago in Amity Park, these moments of doubt didn't come often but when they did they were like a combined tsunami and hurricane of emotions.

What caused this particular wave was the 'young king's' endorsement of Fenton ghost catching gear, a child's vain attempt to heal his parent's heart for a thing out of anyone save The Almighty himself control. The first thing Skulker did when he heard about this was to charge into the throneroom demanding an explanation for their king giving away valuable information on how to imprison his own subjects, only to be caught in the damn thermos for the first time in years. While swirling about in the pocket dimension that is the containment unit of the Fenton Thermos, Skulker came across something absolutely unexpected.

A rather large box.

That the box's lid opened with an eerie creek to reveal the one ghost no one ever took seriously made the situation all the more embarrassing.

Clad in the drenched work clothes of a dockhand stood a corpse blue humanoid with a hook in his hand(AN: look up Danny Phantom ten years later ghosts for a better depiction), stood none other than- "IT IS I, THE BOX GHOST!!!" the annoying spirit said with a smug look set upon his face as he revealed the King's greatest trick. Before any Fenton device left the factory floor he had a ghost capture themselves and place a spectral box inside the portable prison, allowing the Box Ghost to create a network of "escape boxes"(only B.G. thought that was a good name) without any mortal finding out, after all how could Batman find a crack in a wall he can't see?

Skulker shook those thoughts from his head, he had a job to do after all "Where is Johnny 13?" he asked one of his hunters, a skeletal knight riding on a decayed horse.

"He has been banished back to purgatory Huntmaster, The guards are using Fenton Thermos'."

"Of course they are," Skulker muttered before speaking up "What about The Fright Knight? Has he completed his mission?"

As if on cue a black green storm cloud began to form as the wails of the dead filled the air and an ecto barrier rose to cover the land.

At 10:55 EST an ectoplasmic dome enveloped the Xinjiang "re-education" camps of The People's Republic of China, and exactly one hour later the dome disappeared, leaving the camps empty of everything except the bodies of the guards and officers in charge of the camp dismembered and arranged to spell the same message in every major language:

"To Kill a Man's Faith is To Kill The Man."

The various ethnic groups that had been held in the camps were apparently distributed throughout many of the crypts and graveyards that had been given over to the Ghost King to act as his embassies, none worse for the wear.

J Gordon Godfrey had an absolute field day with this, pointing out how none of the nations of the world had truly acted to end the civil rights violations being committed by China before turning his speech into a rant against superheroes. The chinese government didn't know what to do, as you can't hurt a nation that does not require anything from you with trade sanctions, nor can you kill something that is already dead.

**Yes this chapter is ridiculously short and I know you guys deserve better, this story is nearly four months behind and that is not right, college is kicking my ass at the moment so I don't know how long i can keep this up ladies and gents, but I promise I'll let all 221 followers of this strange idea of mine know if I'm bringing the adventures of the king to an end.**


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